FARMERS' CLUBS. 397 



And then again, believing that something more was needed to in- 

 fuse the proper degree of life and activity into our organization, 

 and overcome the inertia of too many of us than the mere discus- 

 sion of abstract propositions, Mr. Chamberlain made a suggestion 

 v^hich we adopted, viz : to put our homes and our farms and their 

 surroundings into friendly competition with each other for premiums 

 of honor, to be awarded after three years' effort to improve them. 

 At the outset we sketched such a plan of such improvements as 

 our homes seemed to call for and admit of, such as renovation of 

 old orchards and setting new ones, cultivation of small fruits and 

 horticulture generally, planting wind screens, the raising of nur- 

 sery trees, cranberry culture, fish culture and bee culture ; re- 

 claiming bog lands, underdraining wet lands, removing obstruc- 

 tions to machine labor, preparation of composts and use of 

 commercial fertilizers, improvement of domestic animals, improve- 

 ment of buildings, and arrangement of fixtures so as to lighten 

 household labors, and bringing of water into them ; roadside 

 improvements, &c., &c. 



This plan struck the members very favorably. They almost 

 •unanimously went into it, and many who had not attended the 

 meetings, or only seldom, associated themselves with ns in this 

 work. Then the club chose a general committee to take the mat- 

 ter in charge, and also several branch committees, one on horti- 

 culture, one on domestic animals, one on improvement of buildings 

 and so on. These committees commenced their field work in 

 June. They went to the places of each, noted down the existing 

 condition of things, and what improvements were contemplated. 

 In all cases they found a real earnestness and determination to do 

 more than they had done before, and they found one or more who 

 were engaged in some one at least of all the difierent ways or 

 methods of improvement to which I have alluded. Some have 

 little and some have no money to put in, but these are not less de- 

 termined to accomplish, by activity and energy, as much as others 

 who have capital. And I want it distinctly understood that our 

 ■plan is not to have the improvements estimated by their money 

 value, but by the degree of judicious care and economy and 

 thoroughness with which they are accomplished ; because if the 

 awards were to be made according to the money invested in the 

 improvements, the poor could not compete successfully with the 

 rich. 



The several committees are to visit the different places at least 



